Back to Holland

Back to Holland, MI that is!  It feels strange and very normal at the same time to be back in Michigan.  We are so happy to see our family and friends again, and we're making the most of our time.

We arrived in the Grand Rapids airport last Friday evening 10 minutes earlier than expected.  We had an entire welcoming committee waiting for us including my parents, Todd's parents, my brother and his fiance, Todd's sister, her husband, and our nephew.  That was a lot of commas.  We felt so loved to be greeted by such a group!  We promptly headed out for a family dinner at a Tex Mex place, where I ate my weight in chips and salsa.

Sorry to cut you off there, Jamie!

This first week has been spent staying at my parent's home, so on Saturday we hit the beach in Holland with my family.  Holland's beach is pretty wonderful, so I'll share some of the beautiful views.

We even rode bikes for awhile that afternoon just so we didn't get Netherlands-sick :).

The rest of our weekend was spent in Grand Rapids with good friends.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, the Green Well, and sat outside with Joel and Lindsey. It felt so good to be there catching up!

The next morning we even made it to our church in GR with Joel and Lindsey, which was nice.

And we also got to meet little Ainsley, daughter of Alden and Mary.  It's a very strange thing to leave people a year ago when they do not have children and then come back and they have a third member of their family!  Ainsley is a doll, and I can't wait to see her more this weekend, and seeing her parents won't be too bad either.

Other highlights of the week were catching up with a few friends that I've known for a long time. The first is Beth, and her 2 lovely children Luci and Mac. Mac is only 3 weeks old, and it was so great to meet the little guy.  These kids are the sweetest!

It was great to see Beth and her mom that day.  It really felt like old times, sitting around and chatting. Just with a few additional youngsters thrown into the mix.

I also got to catch up with my friend Meredith from the high school days as well.  So good to see her and her husband Austin.

On Tuesday,  I had the chance to see my co-workers from GVSU.  I was reminded of how good I have it when it comes to colleagues. These people are so much fun!  I know I don't have everyone in this photo, but here's a group shot at our happy hour.  So grateful I get to work with these folks again on campus next spring.

And I thought I'd include a few photos of Grand Rapids as well for those of you not from West Michigan:

Downtown.

GVSU's downtown campus.

Another highlight of the week was a visit to my 104 year old great-grandmother.  

She is 104 and still 104% with it - she's amazing.  How cool is that?

Last night, my parents organized a party with my extended family on both sides. I got to see all 4 of my grandparents as well as lots of aunts and uncles and cousins.  Not to sound like a broken record, but of course it was so good to see everyone!

Todd did go in to work this week, so I had plenty of time with my parents during the day, and we kept busy with fun outings like shopping, getting coffee, and going to the beach.

So as you can see, home has been treating us well.  We have spent lots of time with my family this week, and I have been so grateful for that time.  Many a good dinner and lots of laughs.  What a blessing to have such a wonderful support system!  

Now we're off to another fun-filled weekend!